Women, Disabled, Minorities Remain Underrepresented: Saima Mohsin is suing CNN

A former CNN reporter is suing the news channel for unfair dismissal and racial discrimination after she was severely injured while on assignment in Israel.

Saima Mohsin was left disabled after an accident while reporting from Jerusalem on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Her cameraman ran over her foot in a car, causing severe tissue damage that has left the British-Pakistani journalist struggling to sit, stand and walk or return to work full-time.

*last / final duty in Palestine before Saima suffered accident-then-(make she) struggling to normal activities

After the incident in 2014 the foreign correspondent claims she requested alternative duties and support for rehabilitation but CNN refused. She also alleges that she asked CNN if she could switch to a presenting role in order to reduce the amount of time spent travelling but was told “you don’t have the look we are looking for”. Three years later the channel terminated her contract.

She said she had decided to bring the employment tribunal claim, which is due to be heard in London on Monday, because the network had failed to support her after the life-changing injury. “I worked hard to become an international correspondent and loved my job with CNN. I risked my life many times on assignment for CNN believing they would have my back. They did not.”

Mohsin’s claim also alleges race and disability discrimination, as well as a complaint about the gender pay gap at CNN. She claims she was denied high profile on-air opportunities, with managers choosing to put white American correspondents on air even when she was ready to go live on the ground.

CNN declined to comment on the allegations. The broadcaster is opposing the claim on territorial grounds, arguing that the terms of Mohsin’s contract mean she does not have the right to bring a case in London.

The case comes at a tricky time for the broadcast news network, which has made deep job cuts and is dealing with the fallout from a number of scandals, missteps and struggling ratings in its core US market.

Longtime boss Jeff Zucker left last year over a relationship with a colleague, while his replacement Chris Licht lasted only a year before being sacked. The news channel also finds itself in the middle of a corporate restructuring at parent company Warner Bros Discovery. Don Lemon also has been fired by CNN.

Mohsin now presents programmes for Sky News on a freelance basis and has made a programme for ITV about the pain of living with invisible disabilities. She is being represented by barristers Paras Gorasia and Jennifer Robinson of Doughty Street Chambers, who also acted for cricketer Azeem Rafiq in his claim against Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

The presenter said her claim raised important questions about journalist safety and the treatment of women of colour in journalism: “This should cause concern for all foreign correspondents who travel around the world – and take risks to do their journalism in the belief their employer will take care of them.

“I’m also taking the opportunity to highlight the racism and gender pay gap issues that I experienced. I was repeatedly let down and denied the ability to achieve my potential while I was at CNN. I am bringing my claim to take a stand and call for change to ensure women journalists, and women journalists of colour, are better protected”.

The Creative Diversity Network’s sixth annual report on inclusivity in the U.K. TV industry reveals a generally sorry state of affairs with some sparks of progress.

The report analyzes data collected through the Diamond diversity monitoring system, used by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Paramount (which owns U.K. broadcaster Channel 5), UKTV and Sky to obtain consistent diversity data on programs they commission, revealing several areas of concern within the industry, particularly in off-screen and senior roles.

A significant finding is that women are making fewer contributions compared to four years ago, primarily due to a decline in senior roles. The number of female writers and directors remains alarmingly low, contributing to the overall decrease. Disabled individuals and individuals from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds also continue to be underrepresented in senior positions, while craft roles remain largely segregated.

Except for the role of commissioning editor, individuals identifying as BAME are underrepresented in all senior positions compared to population estimates (13%). Specifically, series producers (5.5%) and heads of production (7.4%) show particularly low representation. South Asian representation off-screen has fallen to 2.4%, which is less than half of the U.K. population figure (4.9%).

Men continue to dominate most senior roles, particularly as directors (74.5%) and writers (67.3%). The number of women in senior positions has seen another decline over the past year, dropping from 46.8% to 45.4%. This marks a continuous decline since 2018-19 when the representation of women was at 50.4%. The decline in female contributions coincided with the pandemic and the initial lockdown. On the other hand, the representation of men in senior roles remained relatively stable during this period, suggesting that they were less likely to leave the workforce during the pandemic, while women struggled to regain their positions.

The representation of disabled individuals in senior roles has remained consistently low over the past four years. The overall proportion of on-screen contributions by disabled people has not increased during this time.

There have been some positive developments in certain areas, such as increased off-screen contributions by disabled individuals, individuals over 50, and those from BAME backgrounds. Contributions from individuals identifying as transgender have doubled over the past three years.

Deborah Williams, executive director, Creative Diversity Network, said: “Six years of Diamond reporting and analysis highlights stubborn areas across the industry, particularly in senior roles. It’s clear that despite the initiatives that our members and the wider industry have put in place, there still remains a lot of work to be done to tackle systemic inequality across the sector.”

Richard Watsham, chief creative officer, UKTV and global director of acquisitions, BBC Studios/UKTV, added: “While we are making good progress in off-screen representation, particularly by disabled people where we are leading the way, it is clear we have much more to deliver on-screen. This is being urgently addressed and will continue to be a key focus for us.”

Zai Bennett, managing director of content, Sky U.K. and Ireland, said: “This year’s findings once again reinforce the need for concerted action across the sector.”

Maria Kyriacou, president, broadcast and studios, international markets at Paramount, said: “We have more work to do – particularly around the industry-wide under-representation of disability – and we are focused on making sure our activity at Paramount, and our partnerships with the industry, continue to drive meaningful change.”

Carolyn McCall, CEO ITV, said: “We’re committed to working with industry colleagues to increase representation of disabled people across the TV industry, both on and off screen.”

Alex Mahon, CEO, Channel 4, said: “There is still so much work to be done if we want to nurture a genuinely inclusive culture where anyone, regardless of background, has the opportunity and support to forge a successful career in broadcasting.”

Tim Davie, BBC director general, said: “The Diamond data shows that our industry must continue to work hard to ensure the further progress we all want to see.”

John McVay, CEO Pact, said: “Pact will use this latest report to discuss with its members how to tackle the important issues it raises, particularly around increasing the number of women, disabled people and ethnic minorities in senior roles.”

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-prada- Adi Mulia Pradana is a Helper. Former adviser (President Indonesia) Jokowi for mapping 2-times election. I used to get paid to catch all these blunders—now I do it for free. Trying to work out what's going on, what happens next. Arch enemies of the tobacco industry, (still) survive after getting doxed. Now figure out, or, prevent catastrophic situations in the Indonesian administration from outside the government. After his mom was nearly killed by a syndicate, now I do it (catch all these blunders, especially blunders by an asshole syndicates) for free.

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